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General Travel TipsClimate and clothingChina is a vast country with wide-ranging climatic conditions, so a decision about the best time to visit should be based on the regions you plan to tour and the kind of weather you enjoy. AutumnNormally, the most comfortable season of the year is early autumn (September to early October). During that period, temperatures are reasonable throughout China (about 50-72F) with a limited amount of rain. September for example is the only month in the year when the ancient and valuable paintings of the Beijing Palace Museum are displayed due to proper climate conditions (low humidity and proper temperature). SpringSpring can also be delightful with the average temperatures roughly the same as in autumn (about 50-72F). The best way to deal with weather unpredictability is to wear layered clothing that will make you comfortable in both chilly and warm weather. SummerSummer (from June to the end of August) can be extremely hot with temperatures well above 72F, especially in the famous 'four furnaces' of China: Wuhan, Tianjin, Chongqing and Nanchang. Summer is also a rainy season, so travelers should not forget umbrellas, light raincoats and rubber/plastic shoes. WinterWinter can be incredibly cold especially in the north. Off season travel can also offer its rewards. For example, the Harbin Winter Ice Lantern Festival is quite charming. Before deciding when to take a tour, it is worth checking carefully the weather conditions of each city on the itinerary. Needless to say that the most attractive seasons are also the most crowded. Regardless of the time of the year, a visitor will always be rewarded with charming scenery throughout China. For detailed weather forecast, you can visit http://www.weather.com.cn High Season vs Low SeasonHigh seasons in China:
Many people plan a trip during high seasons. However it is not always the best choice. During high seasons tickets for trains, planes, as well as accommodations at hotels are hard to obtain, as great numbers of people travel during these times. It is highly recommended to join an organized tour if you must travel during high seasons, as doing so will certainly relieve you from the difficulties of obtaining tickets. Compared with high seasons, low seasona couldn't be a better choice for traveling. They offer you the following benefits:
Communications
Most of the cell phones bought in foreign countries can not be normally used in China. However, some of the high-end phones are compatible. Please consult the manufacturer of your cell phone before your trip. Note: The international roaming charge can be very high; it is strongly advised to use a local SIM card in China. You can buy a cell phone in China. Many well-known world-class brands are sold in franchised stores or large-scale emporia. After you purchase a new cell phone in China, it will be necessary to have a Chinese SIM card inserted in the cell phone. With a SIM card, you own a local number, through which you friends can connect with you. You can also use a calling card to get cheaper rates. You can get a SIM card at any of the cell phone shops with a copy of your ID card. Usually, a new SIM card user is required to install a certain amount of money (100 CNY at most) in the card. Three kinds of card will be served: China Mobile SIM card China Telecom SIM card and China Unicom SIM card. You can choose any one as you like. Then, you will be given a list of numbers started with 1. The one you chose will be your cell phone number. Whether operated by China Mobile or China Unicom, the mobile phone number in China has 11 Arabic numerals usually beginning with 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 159, 158 and 189. Most of the SIM cards in China are capable of nationwide usage. You need to activate the national roaming service. It will be much more expensive for using the card of Beijing in Xian. Phone Tips: 1. Do not give your phone number to strangers without good reason. 2. Do not leave your cell phone lying around; always put it in a safe place. 3. Do not call back a strange number without good reason as you may be the target of a swindler. They will call you, but hang up quickly. If you call back, the charge will be much higher than the normal rate. 4. Exercise caution when speaking to strangers on the phone and do not provide any personal details. InternetIn hotels of three-stars or above, you should be able to access the internet. In your room there should be provision for you to connect a laptop to the internet through a network interface. Some hotels also have a Business Center, where internet service is provided. In the Youth Hotels internet is also often available. Note: It is free to use the internet service in some hotels, especially the bigger ones. However, do ask in advance. There are many local internet cafes in China. Where you see the Chinese character "网吧 (wangba)", you can surf the internet. In the internet bar, you need to go to the front desk and buy a prepaid card. You then insert the card into the computer for internet access. If there is money left on the card when you finish it will be refunded at the front desk. Be aware that the condition of internet cafes can vary widely. The cost will vary from city to city, but generally it is 1-5 Yuan per hour. Postal ServiceChina Post (中国邮政) is the official postal service of the People's Republic of China, operated by the State Postal Bureau of the People's Republic of China. In China, post offices, with a striking green logo, can be easily found everywhere in the cities. The operating time is 08:00- 18:00 seven days a week, but in some remote areas, the post office may be closed on weekends. Local rates are inexpensive and international rates are reasonable. Tourist hotels usually have their own post offices and shipping services, but hotel front desks provide the most convenient places for travelers to drop mail. All major international courier services have offices in major Chinese cities, and travelers can arrange with their hotel for pickup. ElectricityDomestic electricity supply voltage varies between countries. In China it’s generally 220V, 50HZ, AC (Hong Kong is 200V; Taiwan is 110V). If you travel to China and wish to bring electric devices for use during your stay, a transformer, which can be bought in China for CNY100-200, may be necessary. Most of the hotels in China have both 110V and 220V electrical outlets in the bathrooms, though in guest rooms usually only 220V sockets are available. As the shape of a socket varies between countries, a portable plug adaptor may also be necessary. It can be purchased from travel stores or electronics stores in your country. Also you can buy it in China. Holidays and festivals
Tipping and gift giving
Shopping
China is a treasure house of arts and crafts which are an important part of the Nation's cultural inheritance. Products such as carving, embroidery, pottery and porcelain, glassware and dyeing, replicas of ancient cultural relics are all exquisitely crafted. Other well-known crafts are weaving, printing and dyeing. Cloisonne is a special traditional handicraft of Beijing while Jiangxi Jingdezhen ware is a representative of China's fine porcelain. China's handmade carpets are much sought after in international markets. Suzhou, Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan embroidery are four of China's best-known embroideries. Some of the regional art and craft specialties include the wood carving of Dongyang and the bamboo products of Shengxian from Zhejiang Province, the clay figurine of Master Zhang from Tianjin, the grass and wickerwork from Shandong Province, the three color-glaze Tang ware of Luoyang from Henan Province, the batik from Guizhou Province and the Huishan clay figurine of Wuxi from Jiangsu Province. Also well-know are the four treasures of study of Xuan paper and ink stick from Anhui Province, Duan ink slab from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, and Shanlianhu writing brush from Wuxing, Zhejiang Province. There are many other famous handicrafts, such as folk paper cuts created by women farmers. Other popular Chinese products include:
General shopping tips:
Table manners
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) and followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all. Perhaps one of the things that surprise a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always public chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate. People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat! Disabled travelersDisabled travelers are welcome to China and will be friendly treated by hospitable Chinese people. Barrier-free environment in China is developing fast. The public areas, such as public transport, airports and hotels are more accessible now. As an example, Beijing is an appropriate destination for challenged people because of its beautiful scenery, rich culture and its highly developed barrier-free environment which has been proved after Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Besides, barrier-free environment in cities like, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Qingdao are also developing very fast. When can you make a complaint?1. You think tour operators have failed to provide equal price and quality tour service. 2. You think tour operators have failed to perform according to the contract or agreement (on the travel contract). 3. You think your tour operators have caused you personal because of their negligence and fault. 4. You think your tour operators have caused damage and loss to your baggage because of their negligence and fault. 5. Tour operators and the employees take kickbacks and demand tips. 6. The things that you think your tourist operators cheat from you and harm your interest. 7. All other things that you think damage your benefit. How to complain
1. You should carry out complaint within 60 days from the time when you know or ought to know your benefits have been damaged. You can make a complaint in the local place you are encroached on or return to the place of residence for complaints. 2. You must make it clear who have harmed your interest, such as the traveling agency, the guide, the hotel or all of them. Meanwhile, you should have their exact name written clearly. 3. You are also required to write your concrete complaint requests, such as asking for economic loss, requiring investigating the responsibility for breaking a contract etc. You ought to make sure to call a spade a spade. 4. You must give enough fact evidence for complaint, in other words, the concrete process and pertinent certificate material about your person or property losses should be presented in written form, such as the travel contracts, the loss certificates etc. Therefore, you should collect relevant certificate materials consciously when your benefit is damaged (usually in the journey or in non-local places). Because once you have returned to the departure place, it would be very difficult to gather those materials. It is the key of successful complaint that you must have beneficial and powerful certificate materials in hand. 5. You are also supposed to state clearly in your complaints the following items: your name, gender, nationality, profession, age, the name of the organization you work in and your address. With the gradual standardization of the domestic tourist market now, the Tourism Bureau has set up "quality monitoring administration" everywhere, which is devoted to the admissibility of the complaint requests of the tourists. You can complain directly to the National Tourism Administration, to the "quality monitoring administration" in your location. Certainly, you can also complain to the local "consumers' association". The following are the telephone numbers of "quality monitoring administration". To whom to complain?Tourism Quality Supervision Management Institute of China National Tourism Administration Office hours: 8:30-12:00 14:30-17:00 Post code: 100740 Address: No.9 Jianguomennei Dajie, Beijing Telephone: (010)65275315 (010)65122096 |
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Telephone communication within China is good and getting better as the national system upgrades to fiber optic cable. Travelers can communicate easily with home or office via telephone, fax, telex, and Internet (where available). Hotels usually offer free local calls, although travelers should check as some do have a small charge, even if there is no answer. Public phones are available in many shops, restaurants, and on the street. International Direct Dial (IDD) telephone service is available from almost any telephone in the major cities, or from hotels and phone centers in secondary cities. (Be sure to give incoming callers your room number, since it is sometimes hard for receptionists to remember foreign name spellings).
In recognition of the good service from tour guides, drivers, skycaps, waiters or bellhops, tipping which was once frowned upon has become gradually accepted as common practice in China as elsewhere in the world. In most Chinese cities but especially the internationalized metropolis of Hong Kong and Macau, tipping is very common. However, in China, tipping is not a must but will be appreciated by the people. Since tipping is a personal matter, please do not feel uneasy about it. What or when you choose to tip depends entirely on how you rate a service but you are not under any obligation to do so. For some people foreign books/DVD and music CDs, for others perfume or other small gifts are equally appreciated . As a guide, if you would prepared to give a gift in your home country to a friend, the same gift would be acceptable in China. If you wouldn't give it at home, then it's probably not acceptable here.
The main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
Your complaint ought to be written and delivered to "quality inspecting institute" like an appeal. If you have difficult in writing, you may ask the tourist authorities to note down your dictation and sign your name by yourself. However, your complaint should have the following aspects. Otherwise, the Tourism Administration of "quality supervision" can reject your complaint.